Side Story – Chloe – Test (Patreon)

Author's note: Hey there :). Another old/new character. Let me know what you think.

EPUB: https://www.patreon.com/posts/38084862

Side Story – Chloe – Test

“Again,” Jemaine said, his tower shield hitting the ground in front of him. The spear in his right hand was nearly fully covered by the large defensive instrument, its tip showing a dark red color.

Chloe waited for the wound on her arm to close, not using her healing abilities to accelerate the process.

The rules were simple. Her father would train her but she was not allowed to use her healing. Mistakes lead to consequences, she reminded herself. In this case it was pain only.

She understood his point of view but they had argued a lot anyway. Her healing was a core part of her abilities, something that allowed her to take calculated risks.

The leather on her arm had been pierced, just below the steel plating.

Come on, she thought, gritting her teeth at the pain as she gripped the hatchet tighter, the steel handle slightly dusty from their last exchange.

Chloe took a quick step towards him and lifted the Hatched over her head. The weight of the fully steel weapon whipped back before her arms tensed. Charged Throw activated as her stance changed and her arms moved forward. The weapon was released and spun towards Jemaine with a dull whistling sound and high speed.

She grabbed another hatchet from her belt and activated Charged Dash to get closer. She didn’t use it to attack, knowing he would exploit the obvious charge. Against monsters, the ability was invaluable but a trained Hunter like her father? It meant only death.

The thrown hatchet crashed into the steel tower shield, pushing it back a few centimeters as Jemaine braced against the impact.

Chloe couldn’t help but be proud of that achievement. The power of her throws only started to show once they had decided to use their real equipment and not training weapons. Even her father didn’t question her need to carry eight hatchets at all times anymore. He even suggested more but she knew her limits.

The weight would slow her down too much.

Unwavering Presence was active during their whole training, the body enhancement spell adding to her strength, speed, and health regeneration.

She reached his spear’s range and moved to his left. His shield was dangerous and damn near impenetrable but her expertise was simply not enough to attack his spear wielding side.

Chloe shouted, Bruiser’s Call activating right when his shield moved forward to stun her.

This time she took the hit head on, ignoring the bruised to her left flank. Her left hand reached out to grasp the side of his shield, pulling herself past before her right threw the hatchet past his defense.

Like before, her father let go of the shield to avoid the low range attack, his eyes opening wide when he realized she threw the weapon instead.

He suddenly sped up and deflected the heavy hatchet with his steel spear. The weapon shot past and dug itself into the brittle stone of their house.

“Oh no,” she whispered.

Jemaine just laughed, turning to her as he now held his spear with both hands. “Well done, you forced me back and got rid of my shield. If I were close to your strength, you’d have the advantage now. But don’t grow overconfident, even in a situation like this.”

Chloe had already grabbed another hatchet. She would have to find an earth mage again to fix the wall. It had already taken months to convince her mother to allow their training in the backyard. She took damage to her store very seriously, even though the backyard would never be seen by customers.

I know father, Chloe thought and gripped her hatchet tightly. She tensed up, her muscles pressing against the thick leather armor as Enduring Rite activated.

The spell would eat up her mana to both increase her resilience, health regeneration, and to lower her stamina costs.

Instead of waiting, she charged the large man.

His spear flickered out, far too fast for her to react but she simply pressed on. Bruiser’s Call was still active and prevented her being stunned or knocked back.

Her regeneration would be enough to ignore minor injuries and the plating on her leather armor would hopefully prevent life threatening blows.

She deflected a few of his attacks, still trying to close the distance.

Jemaine danced to the side and jumped back twice, his two meter height and heavy build entirely ignored as he kept the distance between them.

It had been frustrating for the first year of their training but she knew he simply didn’t hold back against her when it came to technique and tactics. Her father would absolutely destroy her if her really wanted to.

[Warrior – lvl ??]

She knew he was at one seventy, one of the highest leveled Hunter squad leaders in Riverwatch. She herself hadn’t even reached one hundred with her healer Class.

Jemaine insisted she train her skills more before advancing, the result being better Class options in the future.

Both of them knew very well that not everyone had the luxury of preparation and training but that didn’t stop her from taking advantage.

She threw her hatchet again, this time from two meters away.

Chloe threw another one, his deflect a little late as the blade of the weapon grazed his armored shoulder, leaving a scratch behind.

She didn’t stop and sped up again. Chloe crouched low, using the broad blade of her weapon to shoot sand in his direction.

The move made Jemaine block his vision with one arm.

Chloe used her Charged Dash to close the distance instantly, the spear grazing her side before her hatchet slammed against his plated chest.

The metal dented.

She kept close and moved her hatchet back, ready for another strike.

Jemaine let go of his spear, his fist including his steel gauntlet slamming into her helmet.

Chloe didn’t even try to dodge, shouting to renew Bruiser’s Call as the impact rattled through her.

She felt her cheek explode in a bloody mess below the steel helmet, her jaw broken and some of her teeth ripped out of their sockets.

Her hatchet slammed into his chest again, breaking through the hard steel and digging into his flesh. She didn’t let up, pushing the bladed weapon deeper with a jab of her flat palm.

She tried to prevent his hand from going for his shortsword but failed to do so, instead jumping back when the blade flashed out of its sheath.

Her buffs receded and she was left with a pounding headache. Her mana had already been low. She examined her injuries, finding them minor. No reason to quite quite yet.

Jemaine held the sword in his right hand, wincing as he ripped out the bloodied hatchet from his chest and throwing it to the side.

“Well done, Chloe,” he said and rushed her.

His blade came too quickly, denting her helmet in as he slashed it against her head.

She had grabbed another weapon, holding it defensively to try and deflect his blows. A few more strikes cut into her arms and legs.

He’s not holding back anymore, she thought when she barely managed to slow his blade, the tip still digging into her eye.

“I surrender,” she called out, breathing heavily now as the pain from the various wounds started to overwhelm her. Her tolerance was high but she knew her limits.

Jemaine sheathed his weapon and took off his helmet, a broad smile on his face.

“Well done, Chloe. You put some one fifties to shame!” he exclaimed and slapped her shoulder.

Chloe used her channeled heal to take care of both his and her injuries. The wounds closed but she already dreaded the repair work necessary on her gear.

A quick glance at her notifications made her forget about the issues.

‘ding’ ‘Bruiser’s Call reaches lvl 15’

‘ding’ ‘Charged Throw reaches lvl 11’

“Think you’re ready for your mission?” Jemaine asked, picking up his shield and spear. “You’re going to need the money to pay for that chest plate you destroyed.”

Chloe winced. “Come on… really?” she pleaded but the look on his face remained stern.

“You’re an adult now, Chloe. Be glad we’re not charging you rent while you stay here!” her father said.

You’re a fucking Hunter squad leader… and mother certainly earns a well enough wage with her Herbalism.

She squinted her eyes at him. “The healing I just provided will surely be enough for that piece of cheap mail.”

He grinned. “Good. Yes, I believe that is a fair deal,” he said and put his massive shield on his back.

“I think I’m ready. Hopefully I’ll survive with a few more levels under my belt,” she said.

“There are no news in regards to Elves in the area. Just make sure to prepare for the known monsters and remember your lessons. And don’t be a hero,” he said.

Chloe avoided rolling her eyes at his hypocrisy. Her father had returned to Riverwatch near dead many times before. His record was five wounded carried on his shield. Apparently he even managed to collect the missing limbs before he dragged them back to the city walls.

She was proud of him. More importantly, she was glad he was still alive.

“Wash up. Lunch in half an hour,” he said, walking towards the door. He glanced at the steel hatchet stuck in the wall and laughed again before he stepped inside.

Chloe collected her weapons one by one, carefully pulling out the one stuck in the stone to make sure the damage was kept to a minimum.

The backyard was surrounded by high stone walls, their house located close to the southern guard station. Her parents had invested in a large area, getting approved due to her mother’s profession. The salves, cures, and medicine she produced had enough importance in the city for them to get more area than some of the higher ranking government officials.

Most of the area was used for various herbs and plants but there was enough room for a sizable training ground.

Victoria, her mother, would retake the area whenever either Jemaine or Chloe were out on a job. Which was most of the time.

She sheathed her weapons and took off her helmet, the dent making the process quite difficult. Her teeth would need some time to regrow, even with her healing. She still had enough to eat dinner. For some reason her father thought it especially amusing when that wasn’t the case, hence his targeted attacks.

Chloe checked her status, thinking about the expedition she would join the next morning.

Name: Chloe Anarath

Unspent statpoints: 0

Class 1: Herbalist Healer – lvl 96

- Active: Channeled heal - 2nd lvl 3
- Active: Herbal infusion - 2nd lvl 1
- Active: Channeled Group heal - lvl 15
- Active: Regeneration boost - lvl 18
- Active: Life transmission – 2nd lvl 8
- Passive: Nature Instinct - lvl 15
- Passive: Herbal sense - 2nd lvl 5
- Passive: Herbalist resolve - 2nd lvl 4
- Passive: Beacon of life – 2nd lvl 2
- Passive: Last stand – lvl 15

Class 2: Hatchet Bruiser – lvl 80

- Active: Bruiser’s Call – lvl 15
- Active: Enduring Rite – lvl 15
- Active: Charged Throw – lvl 11
- Active: Unwavering Presence – lvl 20
- Active: Charged Dash – lvl 18
- Passive: Hatchet mastery – lvl 18
- Passive: Brute strength – lvl 20
- Passive: Regeneration – 2nd lvl 3
- Passive: Throwing mastery – lvl 15
- Passive: Hatchet Fighting – lvl 16

General skills:

- Elos Standard language - lvl 12
- Identify - lvl 19
- Meditation – 2nd lvl 4
- Veteran – lvl 12

- Heat Resistance – lvl 6
- Pain Tolerance – lvl 14
- Wind Resistance – lvl 4

She sighed, allowing herself a small smile. Several years had passed since her last venture to Salia. Back then it had been the first job that took her farther out of Riverwatch than just the surrounding forests.

It was supposed to be a safe assignment, to get her some experience in the wild and among higher leveled adventurers. The incident with the Basilisk had turned the whole thing into a disaster.

Of course her father had seen it as a valuable lesson, telling her that close to death situations were the key ingredient for fast growth. He then proceeded to take away her adventurer badge, assigning her to various duties in the city for half a year as punishment for nearly dying.

That all had happened after her adventurous return during which the western cities were decimated by Elves. She had come close to death many times in those weeks out in the wild, returning with a second Class and level seventy in her main one.

Her mother at least was happy with the growth, mostly complaining about her lack of hygiene out in the wilderness.